Noble way to beat terrorists

SECURITY guards are to be armed with skills to play a crucial role in the war against terrorism and crime thanks to a Widnes firm which is spearheading a historic drive to boost standards across the industry.

SECURITY guards are to be armed with skills to play a crucial role in the war against terrorism and crime thanks to a Widnes firm which is spearheading a historic drive to boost standards across the industry.

Noble Security Services, of Waterloo Road, has taken the lead in shaping the future of the private security industry in England and Wales after scooping a major training contract aimed at improving the effectiveness of security personnel and weeding out disreputable players who are giving it a bad name.

Now set in stone as British law, the Private Security Industry Act will see security operatives increasingly acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for the police in today's uncertain climate.

And the Act means staff will be legally required to become licensed and trained to the highest standards.

Noble has become the country's first organisation to implement a groundbreaking training scheme, Guardsafe, which was launched this week at Trafford Park Manchester, Europe¹s largest business park.

George Mensah, a partner of Noble Security Services, pointed to the recent terrorist atrocities in New York and bomb attacks in Manchester and Warrington as an indication of what the future may hold for mainland Britain he said new standards of training would better equip security personnel to be a vital tool in helping police and authorities maintain law and ordeal across the UK.

He said: "One cannot talk about security without mentioning the current situation in the United States. Terrorism, as we have seen, is very real.

"We in the North West have witnessed two atrocities in recent years, the bombing of the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester and the town centre of Warrington, both close to home.

"In the 21st Century, I believe the mainland UK will experience more acts of terrorism from whatever faction.

"With the regulation of the private security industry this will inevitably unleash the 300,000 individuals who work within it to help the authorities combat this very real dilemma.

"The Private Security Act will guarantee that all security operatives undergo proper training and vetting.

"We are very proud to have such an important input into the industry in which we operate."

The contract will see Noble implementing top notch training to the staff of more than 100 private security firms which operate within Trafford Metropolitan Borough, the first authority to introduce parts of the new Act, which look set to become the benchmark for an industry which employs more than 300,000 people nationwide.

Representatives of Noble Security, said to be the most qualified manned-guarding company in the country, were this week invited to the launch of the Trafford Guardsafe scheme.

"But this is something different, something that has never been done before, to train security officers in one borough to one standard ­ two to three days security industry training along with a half-day input from Greater Manchester Police on communication and intelligence.

"But what makes it different and a first is Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council is going to carry out vetting procedures similar to those already in place for door supervisors and licence those officers completing both the vetting and the training course.

"Noble security Training services has enjoyed its role as a partner from day one in making history here in Trafford, Manchester."